Machine for sewing and trimming fabrics



(Model.) l

J1 BIG-BLOW- MACHINE POR SEWING AND TRIMMING *FABPJGS-` No. 244,532. Patented J111y`19,188l..

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dbf/14.125125 Y e mdf y @7920@ Zyl/Mzzl@ d Fig nA varias. mwumqmpm www me UNITED STATES PATENT (QF-FICEa JoHN BI'efnnow,4 ouPHIL'Ann-LPHIA., PENNSYLVANIA.

MAC'HINgif: Fon sEw'lNGf AND TRIMMING FABRICS.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent' No. 244,532,da.ted July 19, 1881.

` Y Application ined August 19, issu. (Model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN BIGELOW, a citizen ot' the United States, residing at Philadeh phia, in the county of Philadelphia and State4 of Pennsylvania,have invented certain new and useful- Improvements Vin Zigzag or Irregular Stitch Sewing-Machines with Trimming Devices; and l ldo hereby declare the follow-A ing to be a full, clear, and exact Ydescription of the invention, such as will enableoth ers skilled in the artto which it appertains to make and; use the same, reference being had to the accom-j panying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part ot' this specification. f

In the accompanying drawings 'similar letters of reference indicate like parts.,

Figure 1 shows a top view of the cloth-plate of a sewing-machine, with a tongue and mechanism, in dotted lines, for vibrating the ,same across the needle-throat, at'eed, and a trimmin device. Fig. 2 is a side elevation in section;` showing the sewing mechanism of needle, feed, presser-foot, and looping device, and the relation of the tongue to the same, also thetrimming device and its actuating mechanism. Fig.v

3 shows the vibrating tongue and its relation to the needle andthe SeWingthread.; i

The object of the present invention is to pro` duce a combination of lmechanism; adapted, among other things, tonmalrel the out hosei patented in Reissue LettersPatent No.-9,113,f dated March 9, 1880. --I; produce thefzigzagon irregular stitch by means of a tongue'project-f ing over and behind the-needle-hjole in the work-plate of a sewing-machine, `and adapted, to be vibrated alternately with Aeach stitch to the right and left of said hole or point of per-y foration of the needle. I find that by placing the feed at a sufficient distance from the nee-. dle hole or throat to allow the tongue to vibrate, and, further, by hollowing or raising the under side ot' the presser foot beneath which the tongue works,` so as Vto take off heavy pressure at that point on, light stretchy materiahglike knit fabrics, the tongue, aided by the stitches already made on it, can `sufficient-ly vibrate the material to have the needle stitch or perforate the same in azigzag or irregular course withQ out inany way impedin g the speedof the machine, while the work, notwithstanding the vi brations ofthe tongue, since thefeed is without lateralmotion, will be moved in a straight line-to thel trimming device, whichcan be sta- .tionary and attached to the work-,plate otl the AVmachine. Y

` For the purpose ot' illustration, I show my improvement applied to the sewing mechanism of the Willcox 8v Gibbs sewing-machine.

The tongue A', Figs. 1, 2, 3,'is attached at the end of a thin plate, A, which is pivoted at C on the work-plate B of the machine and in advance of the sewing mechanism. The tongue A' projects beyond and behind .the line of the needle and over the needle-throat in theworkplate.4 It is alternately vibrated to the right and left of the line of perforation of the needle and of the side of the needle-throat by means of a rocking lever pivoted at F to the frame 1 of themachine and connected with the tongueplate Aat E and with a cam, H, at Gr.

The cam His revolved by gearing at halt the speed of the driving-shaft ot' the machine, and is soarrangedy as to act when the needle of the sewing-machine is raised out ot' and clear from the work. By acting at the point Gon the lever fpivoted at F, motion is conveyed to thepin at its Vopposite end', which en gages the tongue-plate A ina slot, E, and vibrates theLsame, so that the tongue A is placed'alternatel y with each stitch on'thegright and left of the point of perforation Ofthe needle.

Beneath the tongue is the ordinary needlethroat of the machine, around which, on its upper side, the plate is grooved and hollowed out, so that the thread shall notbe held by contact of the parts.

The feed-dog works back ot' and on one, not both, sides ot the needle. Ithas no lateral motion, and its inner side is at a much greater distance than usual in sewing-machines from edge, as by paring away the metal on its under side. When the tongue is arranged so as to work above the work-plate of the machine (of course it can be brought down upon a level with it, if desired) it has its lower surface higher than that part ot' it ou which the feed acts, in order to relieve the tongue and fabric from too much pressure.

The tongue projects suflicicutly behind the needle to have one or two stitches formed or in process of formation over it at a time, (according as the machine is single or double thread,) and thus, while the needle, feed, and presser-foot of the machine perform their usual functions, and the tongue alternately with each stitch, and when the feed is taking place, is

moved to the right and left of the line of perforation of the needle, the work, especially light elastic material like knit fabric, is at the point of sewing moved with the tongue, and the result is a zigzag stitch or seam.

Since the feed is at one side of the tongue, I nd that the material feeds best with the tongue slightlyinclined toward the feed. Indeed a zigzag stitch can be produced without the tongue projecting behind the needle, in which case it is furnished with teeth to engage with the work sufficiently to move it to the right and left at the point of sewing.

In order to produce the cut hose patented as aforesaid at one operation of the machine, in combination with the vibrating tongue described, I add a trimming device, of which t-he following is the description:

The knife-plate J, Fig. 1, which supports the lower knife-blade, K, and on which the upper knife-blade is pivoted at M, is att-ached to the work-plate B of the machine by screws, and is so arranged as to be adjustable nearer to or away from the line of sewing, as may be desired. The cutting-point S ofthe shears is behind the end of the tongue A.

A lever, is pivoted to the frame of the machine at O', Fig. 2. One end of the lever engages at I) with a pin in the feed-block It, while the other end of said lever O has a pin which engages in a slotin the upper knife-blade at N. Now, since the feed-block R receives its motion from an eccentric on the end of the drivin g-shaft of the machine, it has an upward and downward, backward and forward, motion atthe point l?. It conveys, however, by means ofthe pin onlyits upward and downward movement to the knife-actuating lever O, because of a slot at its end l? being in the direction of the said backward and forward motion.

In operation, when the needle has made its stitch and rises from the work, the feed-block It, bearing the feed-dog, rises for the feed to come into action. This raises the pin, and so the point P at the end of the knife-actuatin g lever 0. Since the lever O is pivoted at O, a corresponding depression of its other end, N, is occasioned. This depression is conveyed by the pin N, which engages in a slot in the upper knife-blade, to said blade, which is pivoted at M, and causes its cutting end at S to rise, and the shears thus to open. The feed having taken place and moved the material to be trimmed forward into the jaws of the shears, as the needle again penetrates the work the feed-block R drops previous to again moving into position for work. This depresses the point P of the lever O and raises the point N, which, in rising, raises the back of the upper knife-blade and depresses its end S. The cutting-edge ot' the upper knife-blade is thus brought against the cutting-edge of the lower blade and a shear-cut made in the material. The shears are thus open when the work is being fed forward, and, closing, cut when the feed is not in action.

Instead of being connected with the feed block R, as described, the actuating lrnife-lever O can engage with and receive its motion directly from the feed-eccentric, which moves the feed-block.

It will thus readily be seen that by the vibrating tongue I get a zigzag or irregular stitch, and by the trimming device the surplus edge can be trimmed close to the sewing, as is described in said Reissue Letters Patent No. 9 113.

7 The foregoing specification and accompanying drawings show the vibrating tongue and a trimming device as applied to a WVillcox di Gibbs sewing-machine; but by slight modilicationsof the mechanism, essentially thesame, however, in principle, they can equally well be applied to any of the sewing-machines now in use, such as the Singer, Wheeler di Wilson, Grover di Baker, and others.

I am aware that revolving cutters, plunging knives, and other forms of cutting devices have been used; but for the purpose of illustration I have shown a shear trimming device, although, with proper mechanical changes, others might be used.

Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In combination with the stitch-forming mechanism of a sewingmachine, a feed, a needle, and a presser-foot, all without lateral mo tion, and a tongue vibrating across the path of the needle, substantially as described.

2. A piece pivoted in advance of the stitchforming mechanism of a sewing-machine under the presser-foot, and provided with a tongue and mechanism for swinging said piece to carry its tongue across the line of perforation ot' the needle, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination of a cam, H, swinging lever F, and swinging tongue-piece A, substantially as shown and described.

4. In combination with the stitch-forming mechanism of a sewing machine, a shear trimming device having its parts actuated by the feeding mechanism, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the work-plate of a sewing-machine, of a feed, a needle, and a IOO IIO

dle, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN BIGELOW.

Witnesses:

L. DEANE,

G. W. BALLOCH. 

